Advice? How to get my stronghold key to the player.

[greyday01]

I made a stronghold. It was created by a secret Imperial organization creating them in preparation for the resumption of the war against the Thalmor. The player starts with a letter in his pocket authorizing him to take command of this one (Nothing says HOW he came by this letter). I would like getting the key to come at some cost (not too high a cost) either in money or effort, but it doesn't seem right just to buy it like a player home. I just can't think of anything that feels right and that would not be too difficult for me to do. I've done some scripting but haven't touched quests or dialog. I could learn if I must. All the rest is completed. Please, ideas?

[Saggaris]

Heya greyday,

 

1: One solution may be to have the Stormcloaks get wind of the place, perhaps even the Thalmor too!

I don't know how script heavy it would be but if there were two places where the PC might get the letter and key (Riften and Winterhold, or Falkreath and Solitude, I don't know and don't want to know yet) but kinda equidistant, then have encounters with the Thalmor along one route and Stormcloaks along the other, I suppose the Top Final Boss of each side could have a similar letter. (the major scripting would be removing the 'redundant' letter... or perhaps a courier to run once only? I don't know how they work)

 

2: Perhaps another more simple way would be to slip it into one of the Dragon Shout wall 'thank you and goodbye' Chests, that way you'd have to fight a Dragon/Boss for it!

 

3: Or even put it in one of the chests in the Northwatch keep, or in the Thalmor Embassy, perhaps with an accompanying letter that 'would' have been sent to the Summerset Isles warning them of the treachery.

I play most of my runthroughs as an Imperial sympathiser myself so I can't really pick a good Stormcloak scenario but we all hate the Thalmor don't we... Don't we? guys?

 

As ever Pete

 

EDIT...

 

I suppose you could always have the player find a 'schematic' to actually make the key out of rare elements/minerals/ingredients, thereby costing the player that way

Edited April 20, 2018 by Saggaris